Pneumatically-operated musical instrument.



Patented Oct. 30, I900.

M. CLARK.

PNEUMATIGALLY OPERATED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

(Application filed Jan. 30, 1899.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE,

MELVILLE CLARK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PNEUMATlCALLY-OPERATED M USICAL INSTRUM ENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 660,560, dated October 30, 1900.

Application filed January 30, 1399. Serial No- 703.836. l\|0 modem To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MELVILLE CLARK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatically-Operated Musical Instruments, which are fully set forth in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a partthereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical foreand-aft section through a wind-chest, pneumatics, reed-block, and manual .of an organ having my improvements. Fig. 2 is a detail front elevation of a portion of the front wall of the wind-chest, in which are located the valves controlling the motor-pneumatic,showing the cover for the same and operating devices for opening and closing. Fig. 3 is a section at the line 3 3 on Fig. 1.

A is the wind-chest.

B is a duct-board mounted therein, secured to and set off from the forward wall of the wind-chest and having primary pneumatics C C, &c., mounted on its inner face-that is, betlween said duct-board and said forward wa D is the valve controlled by one of the primary pneumatics and controlling the corresponding motor-p11eumatic, said valve being mounted on the stem d, which is rooted in the forward moving wall of the primary pneumatic and extends-through the ports a and a, which terminate the duct M, which is formed in the forward wall of the wind-chest and leads to the motor-pneumatic or pneumaticvalve E, said duct 01, continuing in the portions (L20, formed in the post or rib A which is mounted on the outer side of the forward wall of the wind-chest, and thence in the portion e formed in the back or fixed wall of the motor-pneu matic and completing the communication with said motor-pneumatic.

The construction of the motor-pneumatic or pneumatic valve and duct connections is the same as shown in my Patent No. 603,127, dated April 26, 1898, and need not be further described in detail.

The valve D is located in a small circular valve-chamber a which is a local enlargement of duct o In order to locate the valve and chamber and cover therefor, as required by the construction shown, directly opposite or in front of the pneumatic which carries it and at the same time keep the entire group of primary pneumaiics and their valves within lateral range not greater than that occupied by the manual, thus assigning to each manual and its valve space not greater than that assigned to each manual-key, it is necessary to form the valve-chambers a 'in the forward Wall of the wind'chest arranged in two rows, individuals of each of which alternate with the intervals between the individuals of the other row, as seen in Fig. 2, which is on a larger scale than Fig. 1 and magnified above actual size. The ducts a are formed in the customary manner in the forward wall of the wind-chest, and the chambers a," are formed by boring from the forward surface back to the plane of the rear side of the duct a and either before boring or after a strip is cut from the forward face of the forward wallback to the plane of the forward side of the duct o leaving a channel in the forward face wider than the entire area within which both rows of valve-chambers are contained, thus exposing said valve-chambers and permitting the introduction of the valves into them. The stems d are threaded throughout their length and are screwed into the moving walls of the primary pneumatics, respectively, their connection with the latter being rendered more secure by the fact that they are screwedalso through the guide-tongue c, which is glued onto the outer face of the moving Wall at the lower edge and projects down to engage a fixed pin 0 to prevent the wabbling of the pneumatic and to hold the stem substantially centered through the ports a ct. The valves D are screwed onto the stems from the forward end back to such point that they will seat properly over the outer end of the inner port a when the primary pneumatic is collapsed to a certain desired extent. When all the valves are in position on their stems, a plate or strip A", of suitable size to [ill the channel which has been cut in the forward face of the wall A and which 'has the ports ct formed in it at proper positions to stand opposite the ports a, respectively, is fastened in place in the channel-block and secured, and thus completes the structure forming the Outer seat for the valves D. The valves are covered on their inner faces toward the port a with suitable material, as leather or felt, to make them seat properly and silently, and the entire inner face of the plate A is covered with a continuous strip of like material, which not only affords proper seating-surface for the valves when they close the ports a, but also insures air-tight junction of the strip A with the remainder of the forward wall A, to which it is secured. The forward ends of the stems d are slotted to receive a screw-driver, and the ultimate and accurate adjustment of the valves to their seats is effected after the plate A is in place and may be corrected at any time afterward during the life of the instrument by screwing the stems slightly in or out. Wider range of adjustment may at any time be made by removing the plate A and turning the valve on the stems. Through the duct-board B, 1 form the ducts b, extending from edge to edge and having the offsets or branches'b leading to the primary pneumatics, respectively, the upper end of the duct 1) being connected by a thimble or rigid tube 11 which extends airtight through the upper Wall of the windchest,with a flexible tube B which may lead to a tracker range of usual construction where the customary music-strip controls the venting of the primary pneumatics and so controls the sound-producing devices. From the lower end of the duct 12 a tube,which may be a flexible pipe B, extends to and is connected with a duct Z) in the duct-board B, mounted on the base-board, said duct being controlled at the outer end by the valve F on the lever F, which is arranged to be operated by the manual-key G. This construction is substantially the same as shown in my former patent mentioned and adapts the primary pneumatics to be operated either by the keys of the manual or by the perforated m usic-shect operating over the tracker-range. The primary pneumatic is afforded co mm unication with the rarefied air of the wind-chest through the vent-aperture c in the moving wallof said pneumatic. This feature,together with the arrangement of the pneu mat ic inside the wind-chest and with the direct attachment of the valve D thereto and the location of said valve so that it plays between two seats, and thus controls at one seat the communication of the motor-pneumatic with the wind-chest and at the other seat its communication with the outer air, operates to make the primary pneumatic exceedingly sensitive and adapts it to act with veryslight air tension, because when the pneumatic is vented either by the manual or by the controlling sheet at the tracker-range and air at atmospheric tension is thus admitted into it and operating in opposition to the tension of the rarefied air in the win d-chest tends to in Hate the pneumatic the movement of the moving wall under such inflatingaction beingin the direction in which the air is escaping through the aperture 0 in that wall into the Wind-chest is assisted by the friction of the air rushing through the aperture. This assistanceisconsiderableand causes the action of the valveto be exceedingly prompt and practically instantaneous. On the other hand, when the communication of the primary pneumatic with the external air is cut off by the closing of the valve, operated by the manual or by the movement of the music-sheet over the tracker-range, the collapse of the pneumatic caused by the exhaustion of the air from within it, through the port 0 and the reaction of the bellows sides of the pneumatic, which have been distended by the former excess of internal pressure, is rendered prompt by the fact that the entire weight of the valve-stem and valve, beinghung off from the loweredge of the moving wall of the, pneumatic, operates to cause the collapse and the seating of the valve over the port a, and the small size of the primary pneumatic renders it still more prompt-that is, the smaller the pneumatic the more promptly it will act in this direction with a given vent-aperture. Having thus the assistance of the friction of the air passing through the aperture 0 to move the valve in the direction in which alone the weight of the valve and stem operates as a resistance, it is possible to get the action promptly in both directions with a very small primary pneumatic, and consequently with the use of a very small quantity of air. It will be manifest that in order to secure the utmost promptness of the valve in both directions the size of the aperture 0 whose smallness tends to retard the action in the direction caused by the collapse of the pneumatic and whose smallness tends to assist the action in the other direction, must be determined by all the conditions which affect the ease of action of said pneumatics, including such as the stiffness of the bellows sides and other circumstances, which vary in different pneumatics. Therefore, in order to get perfect uniformity in the action of the instri'iment, I adopt the expedient of perforating the block B and back wall of the pneumatic, as illustrated at 0 to afford an extra vent or air-escape from the interior of the pneumatic to the wi nd-chest in any instance in which the retardmentof the air movement outward through the aperture 0 in the collapsing movement of the pneumatic is such as to prevent practically instantaneous action in this direction. Such punctures, being very in in uto in any instance and being made only into such pneumatics as evince slightly sluggish action, may be made more or fewer or larger or smaller, according to the requirements of each pneumatic, and thus the action of all may be perfectly equalizcdthat is, rendered equally prompt in both directions. The best method of providing for this extra vent is to make the block B with the port 0" for every primary pneumatic and covering the outer end of the port with a thin disk (1", which IIO may be punctured when it is necessary to open this vent, the puncture being made with a fine needle or other tapering point and being enlarged to any degree by thrusting the 5 tapering point farther through the disk and being reduced if it is found too large by detaching and partially flattening the bur which is formed at the puncturing-point, and then reattaching by glue or paste or substil0 tuting another disk, This process may be called sensitizing the primary action, and it results in an instrument of extremely accurate response, either to the touch of the player or to the control of the music-sheet. It has been found that pneumatics which are folded inwardly can be rendered inoperative by a blast of air directed through the tracker-range with sufficient force to reverse the fold of the bellows, turning them outward when they are constructed to turn inward.

This offers a very easy method of paralyzing an instrument of this construction, and any maliciously-disposed person having a moments access to the tracker-range can in an instant paralyze the entire instrument by blowing forcibly through all the apertures of the tracker-range. To prevent the possibility of such interference and injury, 1 construct the primary pneumatics, as shown in the 0 drawings, with the bellows folded outward. This may be done with exterior pneumatics subject only to the slight tendency of the ordinary use of the instrument to buckle .the bellows inward; but when the primary pneumatics are interior to the wind-chest there is no danger of this sort, because when the interior and exterior tension on the primary pneumatic is equal the pressure is that of the rarefied air of the bellows, and when it is 4.0 unequal the excess is that of air at atmospheric pressure within the primarypneumatic and tending, therefore, to fold the bellows outward, as constructed.

Another advantage of locating the primary 4 5 pneumatic within the wind-chest is that thereby the bellows side, usually made of thin leather, is very largely kept from exposure to changes of atmospheric condition, particularly in respect to moisture,and these changes, it is well known, tend to harden the leather and defeat the sensitiveness of the pneumatic. To further carry out this same advantage and obtain the additional advantage of keeping the valves free from dust, as well 5 5 as from the moisture which tends to harden the leather or felt which forms the seatingsurfaces, I employ a cover I-I, hinged to a post or rib h, mounted on the forward side of the wind-chest, arranged to be thrown up in front of the entire strip or plate when the instrument is not in use and to be thrown down -entirely out of the path of the air entering the ports when the instrument is to be played, a suitably-operating lever and link being pro- 6 5 vided, comprising the rock-shaft H, to which the cover is secured, the lever-arm H of the rock-shaft, and a link H extending to the bell-crank lever H from which the stop H extends through the organ-front.

I claim 1. In a pneumatically-operated musical instrument, a primary pneumatic located within the wind-chest and having in its moving wall a vent or waste aperture and having a supplemental waste-aperture through its fixed wall, both apertures communicating with the interior of the wind-chest.

2. In a pneumatically-operated musical instrument,in combination with the wind-chest, the motor-pneumatics and ducts therefrom leading to the wind-chest and to the outer air, primary pneumatics located within the wind-chest, both terminals of said ducts respectively being in line opposite the moving wall of the corresponding primary pneumat= ics; the valve-chamber in the wall of the wind-chest between said terminals or ports; the valve-stem protruding rigidly from said moving wall and extending through both ports and having the valve fixed thereon between the ports, said stem being screwed into the moving wall of the primary pneumatic, having the outer end accessible through the outer port.

3. In combination with the wind-chest, the duct-board B therein and the primary pneumatic mounted thereon facing one wall of the wind-chest, the motor-pneumatics and ducts in said wall leading thereto, ports from said ducts respectively, opening into the windchest opposite the primary pneumatics respectively; valvechambers formed as. enlargements of said ducts respectively adjacent to said ports, and the removable plate or strip A covering said valve-chambers on the opposite side of the wall and having the ports ct in line with the ports C0.

4. In a pneumatically-operated musical instru m ent, in combination with the wind-chest and primary pneumatics within the same, the valve-stems connected to the moving walls of the primary pneumatics, a valve on such stem and ports which the valve controls and through which the stem protrudes,and a cover H adapted to cover the outer ports to exclude the air from the valve and wind-chest, and to be moved to wholly uncover said ports; a stop, and mechanism operated thereby for operating such cover.

5. In a pneumatically-operated musical instrument,in combination with the wind-chest, an interior primary pneumatic having a wasteport through its moving wall and a duct through its fixed wall,and a puncturable disk covering said duct.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of two witnesses, at 1 Chicago, Illinois, this 26th day of January, 1899.

MELVILLE CLARK.

Witnesses CHAS. S. BURTON, JEAN ELLIOTT. 

